WWE pre-emptively sends all talent to rehab

The Big Show was one of nearly 100 wrestlers who attended a preventative session of rehab thanks to WWE’s new policy.

In a move that is being lauded as proactive and forward-thinking, World Wrestling Entertainment has enrolled all its contracted performers into a preventative session of rehab.

The company sent 93 performers — main-roster superstars, divas and developmental talent — to The Canyon Recovery Home in northern California, where they will be treated for past, current and yet-to-come addictions.

“Previously, WWE was committed to providing support for any performer struggling with addiction, but we realized we had it backwards,” WWE Chairman Vince McMahon said in a press release.

“We are now tackling the problems before they arise, which is a much more sensible approach.”

Many pro wrestlers have struggled with substance abuse, partly due to the rigors of constant travel and endless wear-and-tear on their bodies. WWE’s new plan aims to solve such problems before they can happen.

The move was met with resistance from a number of WWE superstars — particularly CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, who swear by a drug-and-alcohol-free lifestyle.

After several weeks in rehab, however, Punk and Bryan realized that they too had been struggling with addiction for years — Punk was clearly addicted to his own voice, and Bryan was addicted to one-syllable outbursts of either affirmation or denial.